Minister of the Environment: Paris Agreement entered into force, it is time to act

November 04, 2016

Today, the Paris Agreement enters into force internationally. It is the first multilateral and binding agreement for controlling dangerous climate change. To mark the entry into force, the Tallinn TV Tower will be lit up green, announced the Ministry of Environment.

“It is great that the entry into force of the Paris Agreement was achieved so quickly but it is clear that the entry into force alone is not enough, actions are needed as well. People’s contribution to climate change is remarkable and increasing in time as a result of the constantly growing population and consumption. All of us – enterprises, as well as regular people – must change our attitudes and switch to environmentally friendlier economic and behavioural models,” said Marko Pomerants, Minister of the Environment.

The long-term objective of Estonia is to switch over to a low carbon emission economy, which means targeted stage-by-stage restructuring of the economic and energy systems to make them more resource-efficient, productive, and environmentally friendly. This entails changes in energy production, transport, forestry, and agriculture, as well as in the everyday habits of people.

By 2050, Estonia is aiming to decrease greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 80% compared to the level of 1990. Estimations show that this goal can be reached and if the policies are implemented, then by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions will have decreased the most in the energy sector and industry, followed by transport, by 67% and 52%, respectively.